It’s a burning question when it comes to workout equipment: Peloton vs Echelon, which is better? High-tech home fitness equipment has become more popular than ever since the pandemic, as people use their time inside to work on their physical health.
It’s no surprise that exercise bikes are a popular choice of home workout equipment. As lifestyle fitness coach Nathan Honess explains: “Exercise bikes are good for people of all abilities because they are low-impact, meaning they are great at improving our fitness without harming our joints.
“They are good for people who like training in the comfort of their own homes, and make it easy to fit in a short workout before or after work, without having to worry about a time-consuming commute or childcare.”
With so many immersive at-home bikes to choose from, it can be hard to know which to choose. That’s why we’ve broken down everything you need to know about Peloton vs Echelon bikes so that you can make an informed decision. We’ll compare design, performance, connectivity, ride experience, and of course the all-important price points.
Peloton vs Echelon: A closer look
Cult favorite Peloton has two bikes to choose from – the original Peloton Bike with a 22-inch HD color touchscreen, and a new ‘cardio + strength’ Peloton Bike+, which has a massive rotating 24-inch HD touchscreen.
By comparison, Echelon has four bikes – the Echelon Connect Sport and EX-3 (which don’t have screens, just device mounts so you need your own smartphone or tablet to use it), while the Echelon Sport S Smart Connect has a 10-inch inbuilt touchscreen, and the latest EX-5S, with a 21.5-inch HD screen.
With both brands, you need a monthly subscription to access their online content and live classes via an app, available on iOS and Android.
The new Peloton Bike+ costs $2,495 (plus an all-access membership for $39 a month) and comes with a 360-degree swiveling touchscreen for on and off-bike workouts. It has ‘auto-follow’ digital resistance, which you control via the screen as well as a dial, improved Apple Watch connectivity, and four speakers, which also rotate for that surround sound movie theater feel.
The original Peloton Bike has been slashed to $1495, plus the $39 per month subscription fee, while the Echelon Connect EX-5S costs $2187 with a monthly FitPass membership fee ranging between $25-40/month.
Peloton vs Echelon: Design and features
Aesthetically, the EX-5S and original Peloton Bike are pretty similar, so much so that Peloton brought a lawsuit against Echelon for copying its technology. Both bikes have steel frames and magnetic resistance dials, which you manually control.
This differs from the more luxurious Peloton Bike+, which has a digitally controlled resistance. This means you can set it to automatically mimic what the instructor is doing, taking the stress out of having to keep changing the intensity yourself.
The Peloton bikes both use Look Delta-compatible cleats, which you can fix to the bottom of bike shoes with a 3-screw hole set-up, so you’ll need to factor in the extra cost of buying the right trainers before investing in the brand.
The Echelon range by contrast has double sided pedals – clips on one side and toe cages on the other – giving you more options with footwear.
Apart from a few minor design tweaks – hidden wires, hand weight racks, raised logo – the main difference on the Peloton Bike+ is the bigger rotating screen. This makes workouts feel even more immersive and helps with the non-spinning classes like bootcamp or stretching, when you want more space on the floor, away from the bike.
We’ve touched on the new improved sound system, which has state-of-the-art front and back facing speakers (compared with just rear-facing audio on the original Peloton). Turn the volume up and you can almost imagine yourself right there in the class with the instructor. The excellent sound quality on the Bike+ in particular helps keep workouts engaging.
Peloton vs Echelon: Workouts
So which bike has the best workouts in the debate of Peloton vs Echelon? Both brands have more than just spinning (indoor cycling) classes, including cardio, strength training and yoga, so users can chop and change between workouts to suit their mood or fitness level.
Saying that, it’s hard to compete with the Peloton offering, with daily live weekly classes and thousands more on-demand workouts that you can filter by type, length, music, intensity and instructor. With low impact options, Tabata rides, interval training and even live DJs, the Peloton workouts promise something for every ability and taste.
As Nathan Honess, lifestyle and fitness coach, points out: “Live classes, like those available through Peloton and Echelon, are a great way to motivate people who want the benefits of a gym environment while still working out at home.
“Seeing other people taking part in the same class encourages us to drive through our workouts and perform to our very best.”
Echelon differs from Peloton as it also has specific workouts for Pilates and boxing, as well as audio-guided workouts that mean you don’t have to look at the screen to do them.
Both brands offer scenic rides in an array of countries – extra appealing post-lockdown when traveling outside of the country is still a little complicated.
Peloton vs Echelon: Display and user experience
The EX-5S and Peloton Bike both have touchscreens – the Echelon has a 21.5-inch one that rotates 180 degrees while the Peloton Bike has a static 22-inch screen. The main benefit of having a rotating screen is when you want to do an off-bike workout like HIIT or yoga. It just means you don’t have to crane over the bike to see the instructor.
That’s what makes the rotating 24-inch screen on the Peloton Bike+ so appealing, taking you from saddle to the mat and opening up a whole new world of online instructor-led classes.
But to be honest, you can mimic the effect on Echelon’s cheaper Connect Sport ($1093 and a $54 monthly subscription fee) and EX-3 model ($1641 plus $54 subscription per month), because they both have moveable tablet mounts, and also offer off-bike workouts like yoga and HIIT.
When it comes to user experience, the Echelon bike has 32 levels of magnetic resistance, and the Peloton has 100 (fluid, rather than stepped levels). Realistically, 32 levels of resistance is adequate for most people, but the Peloton does make for a slightly smoother ride.
The Peloton Bike+ differs in that it has an ‘auto-follow’ digital resistance system – meaning that when the instructor tells you to change the resistance, the bike will automatically adjust it for you. You can live without it, but it’s a nice feature. But don’t worry, if you’re old school you can still manually adjust the digital resistance knob, and it takes far less effort to twist it than the dial on the original Peloton.
Bluetooth is available on all models of the Echelon so you can easily connect the FitPass app to the bike and start a workout. You can also link your Facebook, Fitbit and Strava accounts.
As expected the Peloton is slightly more advanced when it comes to connectivity. You can easily sync your Wi-Fi or Bluetooth device, including wireless heart rate monitors and smartwatches. The Peloton Bike+ has a new Apple GymKit integration, which makes pairing your watch a breeze. Just hold your Apple Watch up near the Peloton logo to sync it before your workout.
Peloton vs Echelon: The verdict
There’s a lot to take in when investing in a big bit of home fitness equipment like a Peloton or Echelon, and it’s important to think about what you need out of your exercise bike before you make your decision.
As we’ve said, both brands offer an immersive fitness experience with enough classes and instructors to keep you from getting bored. If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option, then Echelon won’t disappoint.
But there’s a reason why Peloton has a cult following and the price tag to match, and if you can afford one, you won’t regret it. For once the hype lives up to the reality: Peloton is the best exercise bike in America that you won’t want to live without.
Maddy Biddulph
Maddy is a freelance journalist specializing in fitness, health and wellbeing content. She has been a writer and editor for 22 years, and has worked for some of the UK’s bestselling newspapers and women’s magazines, including Marie Claire, The Sunday Times and Women’s Health. Maddy loves HIIT training and can often be found working out while her two young daughters do matching burpees or star jumps. As a massive foodie, she loves cooking and trying out new healthy recipes (especially ones with hidden vegetables so the kids eat them). Maddy is currently completing a diploma in Level 3 personal training and can’t wait to help other busy mums like her feel energized and confident in how they look and feel.
Source: Read Full Article